The Wrenching Game
by Chewie-Fan
Summary: DEADLIEST CATCH:  Inspired by the Cornelia Marie's long wait for the Fish and Game observer to board their boat before taking off for King Crab Season.  Please forgive me, CM crew, for borrowing your personae for this story.  I know I don't own you.
1. Chapter 1

**The Wrenching Game**

Part 1

"Where the hell is that fuckin' observer?" Josh demanded. He paced behind the captain's chair as he spoke into the phone. "We've been waiting for him for two days!"

"Calm down, Mr. Harris, I'm sure she'll be there within the hour," the Fish and Game Supervisor replied.

Josh stopped in his tracks. "_She?_ Are you talking a _woman_?"

"I'm afraid so, Mr. Harris."

"What are we going to fucking do with a woman?"

"Hopefully not what you just said, sir."

"Ah, shi- ah, yeah, well, um… thanks for letting me know." Josh clicked off the phone and turned to Derrick. "Shit! The observer is a fucking woman."

"A woman," Derrick repeated. "Well… hm… I guess we'll have to change the sleeping arrangements."

Jake and Ryan sat on the bench watching Josh blast the supervisor on the phone, and both cracked-up as he folded at the end of the conversation like a loser in a poker game. Ryan stood and offered himself as a sacrifice. "She can bunk in with me."

"You?" Jake exclaimed. "How about me? I'm single… kind of…"

"What makes you think she's young and pretty?" Josh asked. "Maybe she's a forty year old ball buster who won't take any crap from any of us."

"Cou-gar!" Jake and Ryan bellowed together.

"Like those… what do they call themselves? The Wrenches?" Jake added.

"Wenches, Jake. Cornelia Marie Wenches!" Ryan corrected.

Freddie overheard Jake and Ryan as he climbed the steps to join the boys and yelled down, "Steve! Something's broke. Bring a wrench!"

"What?" Steve shouted back.

"Wrench!" Freddie bellowed. He arrived on the top step, looked around and asked, "What's broke?"

Josh rolled his eyes. "Not a wrench, a wench!"

"That's, uh, what I said," Freddie replied.

Steve was steps behind him, holding a wrench in his hand. "What's broken now?" he asked.

Ryan and Jake were practically rolling on the floor laughing.

"Okay, guys, settle down," Derrick calmly told his crew. "The observer is a female."

Freddie and Steve's eyes grew wide. "My wife's not going to be happy about this," Steve mumbled.

"Who says you have to tell her?" Jake asked.

Josh, again, rolled his eyes. "Something called a TV show, Jake?" he said.

"That's not for months, yet."

"Don't you think you'd be squirming if you were married and there was a lady on board?" Josh challenged.

Jake's eyes lit up. "_You're_ the one who's nervous! _Your _girlfriend's gonna give you hell; isn't she!" Jake teased his brother.

Derrick held his hands up. "Okay, boys… that's enough. The observer gets the stateroom. I'll move into the extra bunk. Now… we have a lady coming. Ryan, check the head. I want it spotless. Jake and Josh, clean the kitchen. I want the floor clean enough to eat off of. Steve and Freddie, you guys take the rest of the wheelhouse. If any of you complain, you swab the deck – in the rain. Got it?"

The crew members grumbled to themselves and started towards the stairs.

"Oh, one more thing," Derrick said. "For every curse in the lady's presence, you pay a tenth of a share."

"What! We're on the fucking boat!" Josh exclaimed.

"And we're going to act like gentlemen," Derrick declared.

Jake cackled. "You're in for it, dude."

"You're no fuckin' angel either, Jake," Josh told him.

"Cha-ching!" Jake exclaimed.

"Jake!" Josh reached out to grab his brother, but Jake slipped out from under his outstretched hand and made a bee line for the stairs, giggling as he slid down. Josh pushed Ryan and Freddie aside as Steve stepped out of the way, and he tore after his brother.

Derrick shook his head. "How the hell did Phil put up with those guys?" he asked.

Phil's voice echoed in the room. _"Wasn't easy."_

Derrick's head snapped up. He looked towards Steve, Freddie and Ryan. "Did you guys hear that?" The men stared at each other and shook their heads, afraid to speak up.

"Todd?" Derrick asked the cameraman.

Todd laughed. He'd heard it all right, but he wasn't about to say anything. "Nope!" He just hoped the camera heard it, too.

TBC...


	2. Chapter 2

**The Wrenching Game**

Part 2

The wind blew at Danni Quinn's back, pushing her towards the teal and yellow boat docked at Delta Way. Her left hand held her briefcase; left shoulder supported the strap of her purse. A tote bag was slung over her right shoulder while her right hand pulled a wheeled suitcase that wobbled behind her like a drunken sailor. An umbrella would have been useless in the driving rain, so Danni relied on her Gortex jacket to keep her dry, but a gust of wind whirled around her and yanked the hood off her head. The hood billowed behind her head like a sail in the wind, the pelting rain drenching her hair.

Danni Quinn finally reached the edge of the dock and stopped. She cursed under her breath… a ship full of men, and no one there to meet her. Danni was no stranger to fishing boats, for she had been born, bred and raised on the Alaskan peninsula, but the space between the boat and the dock seemed like a chasm. With the boat bobbing to and fro, she was sure she would end up in the bay. She stood there a moment, hoping someone in the wheelhouse would see her. Tapping her foot, she checked her watch. "Fuck!" she said out loud, and began to search her purse for her cell phone.

Finally, the cabin door opened and two men walked across the deck towards her. Even in their raingear, she recognized them as Josh Harris and Freddie Maughtai. Yes, she had seen one or two episodes of the _Deadliest Catch_, but she wasn't about to let these pretty boy reality stars work their charm on her for their own advantage. She was determined to be as tough as a piece of charred rib eye steak in her observation of their crabbing operation.

"Ms. Quinn?" Josh called out to her as he jumped off the boat and onto the dock.

"Who the hell else could I be?" she declared, her voice raspy from a two pack a day cigarette habit. "You expecting any other women today?"

Josh reached for the suitcase and noticed the sensible shoes on her feet. He grinned to himself. Jake and Ryan wouldn't be falling all over each other to impress this tough cookie. He grabbed the luggage and tossed it over the rail to Freddie. "May I take your briefcase, ma'am?"

"Ma'am?" she repeated, and then grumbled something incomprehensible.

Josh took that as a 'yes.' He took her tote bag and purse, slung both over his right shoulder, and then offered his hand. Danni grabbed it and practically yanked him into the water as she stepped onto the boat. Freddie reached out a gentle hand, and winced as she grasped it with an iron grip. The woman had the strength of an anaconda.

Josh vaulted back onto the ship and traded raised eyebrows with Freddie as the woman trudged across the deck. "You got any rituals to tame that one, Freddie?" Josh asked.

Freddie shook his head. "It's gonna be a long season, bro."

TBC...


	3. Chapter 3

**The Wrenching Game **

Part 3

What she needed was a cigarette. Water splattered against Freddie and Josh as Danni shook the rain off her Gortex jacket. The two men waited to be sure she was done snapping the thing before taking off their rain gear. Josh tentatively reached out his hand, saying, "Can I hang that up for you?"

She tossed it to him with out a word. She pushed her rain soaked hair away from her forehead and then searched her purse. Ah, there it was. Danni grabbed her pack of Salem, pulled out a cigarette with shaking fingers and put it between her lips.

"Ah, Ms. Quinn?" Josh said. "We're a non-smoking boat now."

Danni stared at him. "This _is_ a crab boat, isn't it?"

"Well, if you watched the show you would know…"

"Being on that damned TV show doesn't impress me, Mr. Harris," Danni told him.

Josh's eyes flashed. This woman was as irritating as a chigger under your skin. "Look, ma'am,"

"And don't call me ma'am." She lit the cigarette and took a long drag. Two more puffs, and she was beginning to feel human again.

"Who's smoking?" Jake yelled from his room. "You owe the cig jar." His voice sounded closer as he declared, "Gotta be Josh. He's due." He walked into the room and stopped short. "Oh." He scanned the smoking woman from head to toe. Her long dark hair was plastered against her head. Whatever make-up she wore had been washed off by the rain, and she wore an oversized Alaska sweatshirt and leggings that ended in ankle high boots. _"Fuck,"_ he thought to himself, _"nothing to look at here."_ Still, he thrust out his hand and introduced himself. "Jake Harris, future captain of the Cornelia Marie."

"Danni Quinn," the woman replied. She tilted her head and squinted. She liked this one – young, direct, and cute. She shook his hand. Jake tried to pull his hand away, but she held on and gave it an extra squeeze before letting go. Jake wasn't sure what to make of her actions, and it wasn't lost on Josh and Freddie, who looked at each other and smirked as they took off their rain gear. Freddie offered to take the luggage to the stateroom, grabbed her suitcase and tote bag and left. Danni raised her eyebrows and commented to Josh, "Stateroom? You _are_ trying to impress me."

"Compliments of the skipper, ma'am," Josh told her.

"I told you not to call me ma'am."

Josh's eyes acquired a devilish cast. "When _you_ stop smoking, _I'll_ stop calling you ma'am, _ma'am_."

Danni took another long drag of her Salem and blew smoke in Josh's direction. That boy was going to be trouble. "Can the attitude, kid, or I'm going to keep an extra close eye on this ship."

Josh shrugged. "We don't make mistakes, ma'am. You won't have anything to report."

"_Good job, Josh. Don't take any of her shit," _Phil's voice whispered in his ear.

Josh grinned and said, "Just doing what you would do."

"Excuse me?" Danni asked, thrusting her hand on her hip.

"Oh, uh, I wasn't talking to you, ma'am."

"I told you about that ma'am shit."

"And I told you about that smoking sh-" Josh stopped speaking as Jake leaned closer and put his hand to his ear. "Stuff… smoking _stuff_," Josh finished. He reached into his pocket, pulled out his e-cig and asked, "Have you ever seen one of these?" He took a puff of his electronic cigarette and blew the vapor into the air. "Four thousand chemicals in that," he said as he pointed to her quickly dwindling cigarette, and then held his own up. "Four elements in this. I've got an extra one you can use, ma'am."

"Stick it up your ass," she declared.

"You _bitch_!" Josh retorted.

"Josh!" Jake said and pointed to him, "That's a fine."

"It was worth it," Josh asserted.

"Fine?" Danni asked.

"Captain's orders," Jake replied. "Ms. Quinn, as co-owner of the ship, let me show you to your room," Jake offered. "This way." He smirked at Josh as Danni walked past them towards the exit. "Chill, dude, or you're gonna get us all in trouble," Jake mumbled to his brother.

Danni turned her head at the comment and added, "You should listen to your little brother, _dude_. Seems like he's the smart one in the family."

Josh rolled his eyes and turned away as she blew another puff of smoke in his direction. If her spiked barbs didn't get to him, that damn cigarette smoke would. He took another puff of his e-cig and sighed. It was his cook night, so he trudged to the galley. Maybe he'd throw some extra pepper on a couple of pieces of meat – special, just for the lady.

TBC...


	4. Chapter 4

**The Wrenching Game**

Part 4

Ah… she was a changed woman. A shower, blow dry, clean clothes and she felt like a lady again. Danni opened the door of her stateroom and smelled the aroma of pork chops, spiced pork chops. Someone was a good cook, she thought to herself, but before she would eat – and meet – the rest of the crew, she wanted to greet the captain.

Danni climbed the steps to the wheelhouse and stood at the top. Todd Stanley, the cameraman turned to catch her image. She ignored him. "Derrick Ray," she said as she made her way to the captain's chair.

Derrick chuckled as he saw her approach. "Danielle Murphy," he responded. "I had no idea…"

"Got married twenty years ago, divorced for three."

"Kids?"

"No."

"_Thank God," _Phil said. _"They'd be in a nuthouse if she had."_

"Why is that?" Todd Stanley asked aloud.

"_Not exactly the motherly type. She was a ball buster then, and she's a ball buster now."_

Derrick and Todd laughed out loud. Danni looked from one to the other, "What the hell are you laughing about?" she asked.

Todd and Derrick exchanged glances. Phil was being selective. Todd knew that Phil's voice would be heard as plain as day on the tape. He didn't understand it, but didn't question it.

"Um, private joke," Derrick told her. He took a long look at her. Danielle was worn, but just as pretty as the first day he had met her; long dark hair, even longer legs, but her eyes had changed. He remembered those hazel eyes dancing with life back then. Now they were in pain, as if her shoes were a size too small. "Are the accommodations all right?"

She nodded. "Too good. I'd say you're trying to fucking bribe me."

"No need to, Danni. We follow the rules on this ship. I'm just being a gentleman."

"Nobody always follows the rules, Derrick. One of your boys will mess up." She took another drag of her cigarette. "I'll make you a bet," Danni declared. "If I don't find any violations by your first off-load, you can have your stateroom back."

"Your chance of finding a violation is about the same as the possibility of you seducing one of my guys."

She rolled her eyes. "They're _crabbers_, Derrick," she asserted. "Then let's expand the bet. If I get a violation _or _a seduction, I keep the room."

"You're on," Derrick said. "You must not have met the rest of my crew, yet."

"Oh, but I have, Derrick. I've met that Freddie fellow and Phil's boys. That Josh kid better watch his step. He's just like his fucking old man."

"Yeah, he is," Derrick replied, "but don't hold that against him."

She chuckled. Other than being a lot grayer, Derrick hadn't changed in the twenty years since she'd seen him. He was a nice guy then, and a nice guy now – too nice as far as she was concerned. She descended the steps and sauntered into the galley. The crew was already around the table. All eyes turned towards her and opened wide. The drowned rat had transformed into a Demi Moore wannabe. Not quite as ageless as the actress, but not bad for a fifty-something year old woman.

Steve, who was sitting on the end, stood and extended his hand. "Ms. Quinn, Steve Ward, engineer on the boat and happily married."

She shook it and laughed. "Why does everyone assume that a woman on a boat is a fucking piranha? Relax, Steve, I don't dally with married men."

Steve smiled, but still wasn't taking any chances. He pointed to Freddie and said, "You've met Freddie Maughtai, also married. That's Ryan Simpson, and you know Jake and Josh."

Freddie nodded to her while Ryan partially stood up and extended his hand. Danni reached across the table and shook it. Another nice young man, she thought, kind of like a big teddy bear. She wouldn't mind cuddling up in those arms. _"Whoa!"_ she thought to herself. She had never been a cougar before, and quite frankly, was hoping she wouldn't have to start now. Still… these young men certainly set the heart beating faster.

"Have a seat," Josh said as he left the table. "I'll fix you a plate."

Danni slid into the bench. Steve then sat down and asked, "So, how long have you been an observer?"

"Just got back to it last year. I was an observer my first job out of college."

"When was that?" Ryan asked.

"Probably before you were a glint in your father's eye," she replied. "Lasted until I got married." She was about to say more when Josh plunked a plate in front of her.

"Hope you like it," he told her and slid in next to her. He folded his hands and smiled.

She was ravenous and would have eaten the leather from her shoe. She sliced a piece of meat off the bone and shoved it in her mouth. "Mm…" she said as she chewed. She swallowed. "Not bad!" She reached for the salt and pepper and shook both onto her meal.

Josh's mouth dropped open as she shoveled the rest of the food into her mouth. The lady had a taste for spice. Next time, he'd try hot pepper sauce.

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

**The Wrenching Game**

Part 5

Two days had passed and there was nothing to document, not even a bit of illegal trash thrown overboard. They had just laid their last string before their first off-load, and Danni was not about to let go of the stateroom. She had kept a close eye on the men, and not one of them had yet to slip up – at least not that she could catch them.

With several hours to jog between strings, it was time to enact Plan B. Jake was in the galley while the rest of the crew caught a nap. Had she been twenty five years younger, he would have been her choice. She wasn't a cougar – not really – but she wasn't about to let Derrick win this bet.

She made herself comfortable at the galley table as she watched Jake cook. He reminded her of his father. Except for the brown eyes, his coloring was the same as Phil's. He was a bit shorter than his dad, but he had the same solid, muscular build. She leaned back in the seat and blew a ring of smoke in the air. "So, Jake, how long have you been fishing?" she asked.

Jake was focused on his job and barely glanced at her as he answered. "Since I was eighteen. So that's seven years."

"Start fishing under your dad?"

"Yeah. How did you know?"

"I caught the show a few times. I remember when you asked him to become a full share. He bit your fucking head off."

"You swear like a fisherman," Jake commented. "I don't know why Derrick's bothering to fine us when you talk just as bad as we do."

She laughed. "Derrick has always been a gentleman."

"You know Derrick?"

"The _Milky Way_ was one of my last assignments before I got married and quit the business. He ran a clean operation then, too."

"Yeah, he's as tough as my dad when it comes to following the regs," Jake commented.

She begged to differ, but kept it to herself. She slid out of the bench seat and sauntered over to Jake. "Need some help?" she asked.

"No, I'm just about done," he told her.

"You're a good cook," she commented. "Tell me, are you as good in the bedroom as you are in the galley?"

Jake froze. "_What_?" he exclaimed.

Danni sashayed over and stood in front of him. She placed a finger on his lips and said, "Sh… we don't want to wake the others."

Jake took a step to his left, and she mirrored him. Jake had no idea what to say to her. "Uh, Ms. Quinn, ma'am, um, I, um…" Then he swallowed hard, and the words tumbled out of his mouth. "Fuck! You remind me of my mother!"

Danni took a step backwards. "Your… mother."

"Yes, ma'am."

"_Atta boy, Jake, She was a cougar twenty-five years ago, too" _Phil said.

"She couldn't have been a cougar twenty-five years ago, Dad, she was too young then," Jake said aloud.

"O—kay," Danni commented as she backed out of the kitchen. So much for that one. His mother… she shouldn't have been surprised.

Derrick had heard every word. "That's a fine, Jake!" he shouted from above.

xxxxxxxxxx

Dinner was cleaned up and the X-Box was in full action mode. Hours later, Steve had relieved Derrick in the wheelhouse, and everyone was in his bunk except Ryan and Josh, who were immersed in the final skirmish of a Halo battle. Danni casually watched them play, pulling one cigarette after another out of her pack and blowing smoke in their general direction. Josh kept his e-cig in his mouth, chewing on the end. Every few minutes, he'd take a full inhale and finally reached the point where he couldn't take any more nicotine, or any more bullets. Josh tossed his controller on the table after Ryan had pumped four rounds into him.

"That's it. I'm done," Josh said.

Danni offered him her lit cigarette, "What a drag before you go to bed?" she asked.

"No, thanks, ma'am. I've had more than my quota of nicotine for the day." He held out his cigarette substitute. "Want to try my e-cig?"

"In your dreams."

He raised his right eye brow. "Maybe you will." Josh left.

She turned to Ryan and wondered if she was about to hit on the wrong crew member. Yup, that Josh Harris was just like his father. Danni picked up the controller Josh had just abandoned. "Play me?" she asked Ryan.

"You?"

"What? You think woman can't play these fucking games?"

"No, I, um, just thought that you were, you know, too old for this kind of stuff."

"Old? I'll show you who's fucking old. Halo – Forge."

Ryan shrugged. "All right." He clicked on the Forge map, and she proceeded to beat his butt. Ninety minutes later, Ryan flipped the controller onto the table in disgust. "Fuck! You beat me, again!"

Danni slid out of her seat and took the few steps around the table to stand in front of Ryan. She draped her arms around his shoulders and leaned down, her face inches from his.

Ryan started to sweat. The lady was pretty – gorgeous, actually – for her age. He'd heard about middle aged women and their appetite for sex. He wondered if he'd be able to keep up with her. "Ah, Ms. Quinn, I'm, uh, pretty tired, you know? We have a long day comin' up tomorrow and I, uh, need to get some sleep."

"Oh, you'll get some sleep all right," she murmured as her lips touched his.

"_Careful, Ryan,"_ Phil said. _"You don't know what you're getting yourself into."_

Ryan nudged Danni away from him and stood. "Thanks for the advice, Phil. Good night, Ms. Quinn," he said as he beat a hasty retreat to his bunk.

Before Ryan reached the doorway, Derrick stepped out of his sleeping quarters. "Ryan! You dropped an f-bomb; that's a fine," he announced.

"Yes, sir," Ryan said and ducked into his room.

Danni stood by the table, hand on her hip. "Always in the right place at the wrong time, Derrick," she said.

Derrick smiled. "Just keeping my boys safe."

"I'm beginning to think you're not the only one. What's with all this Phil talk? Every one of you has had a conversation with him. Are you all nuts?"

"Maybe… just a little. Have you run out of crew members, yet?."

"Got one left."

"Just one?"

"I don't do married men. What about you?"

"I don't do married men, either."

She laughed and took a step closer to him. "Married?"

"Attached. You must be desperate if you're chasing after me. I mean, from what I remember, I'm not exactly your type."

She shrugged. "I'm not chasing after anybody, just trying to win a bet."

Derrick crossed his arms and took a good look in her eyes. No, this was about more than just winning a bet. This was not the woman he knew twenty years ago. This Danni was trying to prove something.

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

**The Wrenching Game**

Part 6

Coffee… she needed coffee… Danni left the stateroom and followed her nose to the galley. Josh, spatula in hand, was laboring over breakfast. He looked up as she entered. "Morning, ma'am."

Danni grunted, reached for a mug and filled it to the brim. She sighed with her first sip. Oh, that was good coffee. The boy might be like his father, but, damn, he could cook. Come to think of it, his father was a pretty fine cook in his day, too. "Strong coffee," she commented.

Josh glanced at her. "Too strong?"

"No, I like it that way," she said. She tilted her head to the side. From the back, Josh looked nothing like his father. Lean and tall, almost wiry, with a head of black hair; must take after his mother, she thought. She sauntered up behind him, reached around and placed her cup on the counter. She brushed a piece of lint off his shoulder.

"Don't even try it, ma'am," Josh immediately said.

"Try what?" she asked.

He turned in the small space between the counter and her body. "Jake told me you hit on him."

"Oh." She should have guessed the boy wouldn't keep it to himself. "So, he wasn't interested… How about you?"

Josh looked away and smirked. "No, thanks."

Danni stepped back and crossed her arms. "Too old for you, too, huh?"

"Fuck, no. Actually, I find you quite attractive, but, uh, I've got a girlfriend."

"Oh." Danni stared at the floor as she reached into the pocket of her hoodie to take out a pack of cigarettes. "Thank you," she said as she drew one from the pack.

"You're welcome, ma'am."

Derrick stepped out of the head as Danni was about to light her cigarette. "Heard you, Josh. That's another fine." Josh rolled his eyes. At this rate, he wasn't going to have an income at the end of the season.

Danni extinguished her lighter and took her unlit cigarette out of her mouth. "Derrick, this is a crab boat. Don't be fining these boys for talking like fishermen."

"I wouldn't if you weren't here."

"You know where I came from. The cursing doesn't bother me. No more fucking fines on my account."

Derrick shrugged. "Okay," he said, and he grabbed a mug for coffee.

Josh caught Danni's eye behind Derrick's back and mouthed the words, "Thank you."

Danni smiled. The first true smile she had had in a long, long time. "You're welcome," she mouthed back. She slipped the cigarette back into its pack. "Josh, tell me about that e-cig thing."

Josh grinned. He handed her the spatula and said, "Here, watch the sausage. I'll be right back."

As Danni took over cooking, Derrick smiled and said, "So, about that bet…"

"All right, Derrick. You know your guys too well, but it's not over until the off load is done."

"Fair enough."

Josh returned with the e-cig and explained the ins and outs of vaping as the crew trickled in and grabbed breakfast. The men slid in around the table.

"If you watched the show, Ms. Quinn, you would know that my dad died from smoking, so I'm pretty intense about helping people quit," Josh told her.

"Please, call me Danni. And I knew your dad was a chain smoker from way back."

"You knew my dad?" Jake asked before he shoveled a fork full of scrambled eggs into his mouth.

"Met him his first year up here," Danni responded. "He was a party hearty type back then."

"And so were you," Derrick added.

"Yeah… I liked the bad boys," Danni responded as she and Derrick traded looks loaded with history. "Guess I paid the price, too."

"How so?" Josh asked. "I mean, if you don't mind me asking."

Danni sighed. She'd kept her hurt to herself. What was it about these Harris boys that made her lower her guard? Just like their dad, whom she should have listened to back then. "No, I don't mind. I married one of those bad boys; married the wrong fucking one, actually."

"Um… are you saying that you and my dad…"

"Hell, no, but not for lack of trying. I guess I wasn't quite his type."

"But, Danni, you were married for twenty years," Derrick reminded her.

"Twenty years of hell," she replied.

"What made you take so long to leave him?" Ryan asked.

"I didn't. He left me… for a twenty year old blond."

The men sipped their coffee in unison. No one knew what to say to that.

Finally, Jake asked, "Wished you'd left him first?"

"Fuck, yeah… but, you know, that Irish Catholic thing kept holding me back. I just wish he'd stop throwing it in my face."

"What's he do?" Ryan asked.

"Keeps sending me pictures of him and his bitch to my facebook."

"Why don't you block him?" Jake asked.

She smirked. She wished she knew why herself. "Oh, I don't know. Kind of a perverted sense of self torture, I guess."

A familiar devilish twinkle entered Josh's black eyes. "Want him to stop?" he asked.

"How?"

"Give him a taste of his own medicine."

Steve stood. He wanted no part of whatever scheme was evolving in Josh's twisted brain. "Well, I'll go relieve Freddie in the wheelhouse," he said. "He must be starving."

"I'll be up soon, Steve. I can't miss this," Derrick said as his engineer beat a hasty retreat.

"I'll be right back," Josh said and slipped out of the galley.

"What's he thinking?" Danni asked.

"_Whatever it is, it's bound to be good,"_ Phil told them.

Danni froze, but her eyes went from one man to the next. "Did you hear that?" she asked.

"Oh, yeah," Jake said. "Dad talks to us all the time."

"Phil?" Danni whispered.

"_It's me, sweetheart. Well, all of me except for my naughty body…"_

Danni's mouth dropped open as the crew laughed. Josh returned with his camera. "Hey, Dad," he called into the air. "Wait 'til you get a load of this one." He motioned to Danni to stand. "Ms. Quinn, you are about to become a Cornelia Marie Wench."

Freddie clattered down the steps and entered the galley. "Wrench, again?" he asked.

Josh laughed. "Yeah, Freddie, we're making Danni an honorary Cornelia Marie Wrench. Pick her up."

Freddie shrugged and picked Danni up as if she was a sack of feathers. Josh clicked the shutter just as Danni threw her arms around Freddie's neck and caught that moment of surprise at being swept off her feet.

"Who's next?" Josh asked as Freddie put Danni down.

"Me!" Ryan exclaimed as he moved out of the banquet area and grabbed Danni's hand. "On my bunk." Ryan pulled her into his room, sat on the bed, and then pulled her down on his lap. She placed a hand on his cheek and Josh snapped the shot as Ryan played the role of the entraced lover looking into his lady's eyes.

"Jake!" Josh called.

"Do I have to?" Jake asked. "She really does remind me of mom."

"Mom? She's nothing like mom."

"Dark hair?"

Josh laughed. "All right. Here." He handed Jake the camera. "You take me." Josh found a wall to lean against. He turned Danni to face the camera, put an arm around her waist and pulled her against his body. After moving the hair off her neck, he nuzzled.

Danni closed her eyes and tilted her head to the side… oh, that… tickled. "Okay," she said as it was beginning to feel too good. "Thanks, guys, but that's enough."

Josh released her and grabbed the camera back from Jake. He clicked through what they had taken. "Hey, these are good. They could be covers for romance novels."

"Really?" Jake asked as he perused the pictures with Josh. "Um, maybe I can get past the mother thing. Let me try one."

Josh was ready to respond affirmatively, but Derrick interrupted. "Later, Jake. We've got pots to pull. We'll have plenty of time for more pictures on the jog back to our last string."

Jake shrugged. "Okay, but I go first next time."

Josh showed Danni the pictures. "Won't Freddie's wife and your girlfriend be upset if they see these?" she asked him.

"Nah, they won't mind. Freddie's wife is awesome," Josh responded.

"What about your girlfriend?"

"She'll understand."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Then she's a keeper."

Josh smiled. "I know, and I'm going to do everything I can to make sure I do."

"_Fuck, Ding, you're serious?"_ Phil asked.

"Yeah, Dad, I am."

"_Then I won't be able to call you Ding anymore."_

Josh chuckled. "I don't know about that. I still expect to be doing some dinging, but you'll definitely still have Dong, here, to knock around."

"Fuck you, Josh," Jake blurted out.

"And fuck you, Jake," Josh retorted.

"Hey, I'm as responsible as you, now that I'm clean."

"Responsible? Who's the one who…"

Derrick shook his head and left the boys to their argument. "I'm outta here," he said.

Danni followed him to the stairs and said, "I'll clean my stuff out of your stateroom."

"But we haven't off loaded, yet."

"You and I know I won't find any violations. You were right. These guys are good."

"_Trained by the best,"_ Phil told them.

"And still humble, I see" Danni commented.

Derrick laughed as he ascended the stairs. Danni went into the stateroom and started to pack her things for the move down the hall. "You got good boys, Phil," she said into the air.

"_Yeah, despite everything, Ding and Dong turned out all right."_

"You should be proud."

"_I am. Didn't expect them to get to you, though. They softened you up pretty good, didn't' they? You were never like that with me."_

"They're not as hard ass as you were."

"_Who was the fuckin' hard ass back then?"_

"Touche." She folded her arms. "So, are you going to hang around this boat for awhile longer?"

_"As long as I fucking possibly can."_

"While I'm here, maybe we can become kind of like _The Ghost and Mrs. Muir_?"

"_The ghost and who?"_

"Mrs. Muir. You know the old TV show?"

"_Oh, where the lady falls in love with a ghost. With all these young studs around here, you want to dally with a friggin' old ghost?"_

"I'm not really a cougar, Phil. I mean those boys are fucking fine, but I prefer men of a certain age."

Phil laughed. _"Maybe if I get the hang of this ghost thing, I can haunt your no good ex?"_

"Don't bother. I'll send the photos and then block him from facebook. It's about time I moved on with my life."

"_And there are plenty of real men out there who would be more than happy to take up with you."_

"I just need to stay away from the bad boys."

"_Oh, I don't know about that. Did you ever meet Johnathan Hillstrand? Now there's a 'nice' bad boy…"_

This time Danni laughed. "Oh, Phil. What am I going to fucking do with you?"

"_Not fucking much."_

"Guess you're right… So… tell me more about this Johnathan Hillstrand…"

**The End**


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